I’m glad I got a chance to read some reviews before tackling Good Morning, Midnight, because it only reaffirmed my suspicions that despite its promise of a “catastrophic event” and its post-apocalyptic setting, the book in truth reads more like an evocative and haunting piece of human drama. It is powerful and moving, which almost makes one feel nostalgically wistful for quieter, simpler times.

The story is told mainly through the perspectives of two characters. Augustine is an elderly astronomer who spent his life traveling the world to make a name for himself, trading away all personal attachments for his ambition. Now, alone and nearing the end of his life, Augustine finds himself making a decision he never thought would come about, but once the choice is made there would be no going back. He’s at his latest research posting, located in a remote Arctic facility, when the unsettling news arrives: something bad is happening out there in the world, and all the scientists are strongly urged to evacuate on the last plane out. With no loved ones to return to and still plenty of work to be done, Augustine refuses to leave, which is how he came to be the only one left at the base while the rest of the planet goes silent. However, shortly afterwards, he comes upon a little girl named Iris, seemingly left behind in all of the commotion. Desperately, he tries to raise an alert on every communications system he can think of, but it’s no use. No one answers.

Meanwhile, Mission Specialist Sullivan is an astronaut aboard a spacecraft called the Aether, finally making her way back home following a years-long research flight through space to study Jupiter. She and her crewmates were not too far from the end of their journey when they lose contact with Mission Control, leaving them all perturbed over what might be happening to their families and friends back on Earth. For Sully, who left behind a young daughter with her ex-husband, the silence troubles her deeply and fills her with guilt, even though she thought she’d come to terms with all the sacrifices she made for her work. The Aether has been so gone so long, everyone on board is eager to be back on Earth again, but what might they find when they arrive, if they can even make it that far?

Granted, Good Morning, Midnight might not be a page-turning read, but it is nonetheless gripping in its own way. It’s one of the most atmospheric novels I’ve ever read, which is even more impressive when you consider how much of its themes focus on the emptiness of isolation and solitude. The characters Augustine and Sully may seem far removed from each other, both literally and metaphorically, but there’s still a strong parallel between their lives, marked by feelings of regret and the fear of the unknown. The people in this book are fragile and imperfect individuals, discovering truths about themselves while they delve into their pasts during moments of vulnerability. In many ways, this was not an easy book to read. My heart ached for the protagonists. Both of them yearn for answers, comfort, reassurance, but it’s clear that neither will find any of those easily. When the end of the world comes, many won’t realize what’s really important until it’s too late.

But while the tone of the book was pretty much what I expected, there were still a few issues which made it difficult for me to get into the story. We never get to find out what the catastrophic event was that presumably wiped out everyone on the planet. A part of me is aware that it’s beside the point, but not knowing a single thing about it still chafed, especially since there were plenty of hints dropped about what it might not be—reports of no radiation poisoning, clear skies above the planet surface, etc. I didn’t go into this one expecting a typical post-apocalyptic novel, but I guess you could say I still wanted the post-apocalypse to have a bigger role in the story. I also anticipated the more laid-back and steady pacing, but certain sections still slowed to a crawl, expounding on character thoughts and motives without adding anything new. The narrative does this a lot, practically spelling out all the connections so that I was really left with no surprises at the end.

Still, Good Morning, Midnight was a good read. The book’s cover depicting a lone tent among the Arctic dunes is a pretty accurate reflection of the story’s tone—a single point of light in the darkness, surrounded by a vast sea of stars. It’s a moody, broody novel which puts emotion ahead of plot, and if that’s something you think you’ll enjoy, I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Nice review, Mogsy. I think I might give Good Morning, Midnight a try at some point. The post-apocalyptic and literary angles remind me a little of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven… which I also haven’t read yet, so I’m basing it off of the impression I have of it. Anyway, it’s a roundabout way of saying it sounds interesting.

I always thought this was going to be a little like Station Eleven (which is in my top ten books of all time) and so I wouldn’t expect a lot of action. I will read it by the end of the year, because I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it more than you, although I don’t expect it will be as good as SE.

Sounds like a good enough read if you want the drama between the people and a more character driven plot but I don’t know if I could stand not knowing what happened either. I have always wanted to read “Station Eleven” and from what I’ve heard, it sounds like it may be more up my alley so I might pass on this one. Great review though and it does sound interesting.

I was the same page as you. I know that it wasn’t the main point of the book, but I wanted to know what happened to the rest of the world darn it. I also wasn’t too impressed with how Augustine met his end. That was a bit of a WTF moment for me.

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Welcome to The BiblioSanctum! A Book Blog for Speculative Fiction, Graphic Novels... and more! Mogsy, Tiara and Wendy are proud moms, geeks, gamers and bibliophiles. We're always reading and yet, there never seem to be enough books! Our Goodreads lists are an eclectic assortment of genres -- and we love to share our thoughts. The BiblioSanctum is a home for our absolute love of reading.